Great Three Wisdom Classics

Author: (Spanish) Gracian et al., translated by Chen Shukai
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-02-13
Features:
Before Chapter 3, "Mixed Monarchy," we briefly introduced the various situations of hereditary kingdoms. However, some of these situations cannot be found in newly established kingdoms. This hereditary kingdom is not a completely new country. If it belongs to a mixed monarchy, many mechanisms may be involuntary, leading to chaos. This is an inherent problem. The best wish people have is that their ruler can lead them to improve their difficult circumstances. But when their wishes are not fulfilled, they will raise the banner of "resisting corrupt rule," take up weapons, overthrow the existing regime, and replace their ruler. Such cases are innumerable in history. However, one after another, the vicious cycle shows that their wishes have not been realized, and their situation has even become worse than before. What causes this inevitable vicious cycle? There is an intrinsic reason: When a king conquers a new territory, due to the nature of his rule in that territory, his army often harms his new subjects, causing them both spiritual and material harm. It has been proven that this only turns the harmed subjects into his enemies. Moreover, if he cannot act according to the wishes of the subjects who were initially enthusiastic about helping him conquer the territory, they are also likely to become his enemies. To stabilize his rule in a newly acquired territory, a king needs to win the favor of the local residents. Otherwise, the situation will be as described above. In the past, King Louis XII of France conquered Milan almost effortlessly, but lost it just as quickly. Milan was recaptured by the army of Ludovico Sforza and returned to him. The people who had previously opened the gates for Louis XII turned against him and became his enemies. They could no longer tolerate Louis XII's recklessness. They saw no sign of their wishes being fulfilled on Louis XII, and all the benefits they had once envisioned became nothing but illusions. The rebellion made the new ruler realize that if he reconquered the rebellious region, he would never lose it so easily again. This was because he would learn from his previous mistakes, identify the weaknesses in his rule, reduce suspicion, forgive criminals, and learn to use capable people to consolidate his rule. After King Louis XII first conquered Milan, he was quickly driven out by the Duke of Ludovico. When Louis XII reconquered Milan, he lost it again, but this time it was not a single hero who caused his failure, but rather the people of the world who opposed him together. The army of the French Kingdom was completely defeated by the Italians and driven out. Louis XII's second rule over Milan was still short-lived. We have already discussed the reasons why Louis XII lost Milan for the first time and will not elaborate on it here. Now, what we will explore together is the reasons why Louis XII lost Milan for the second time. If you were Louis XII, through your efforts, could you find another method or means to retain Milan and ensure the benefits of your conquest? First, there is an issue everyone must pay attention to: after some small and medium-sized cities are conquered by a king, some